Former NBA player Byron Scott won three championships with the Los Angeles Lakers in the 1980s, but he doesn't see this current iteration of the team going all the way. On the latest episode of Byron Scott's Fast Break podcast, Scott was asked whether the new-look Lakers are contenders or pretenders.
"I'm not going to say borderline," Scott said. "They're pretenders… I think they'll make the playoffs, but again, to [Olden Polynice's] point, defense wins championships still in this league. I know we glorify the threes and all the offense and things of that nature, but at the end of the day, you got to get stops, right?
"And [Walker] Kessler at the center position, he better average about eight blocks a game," Scott added. "Because they going to be getting a lot of blowbys, and the guys going to get to that basket."
Walker Kessler is the Lakers' biggest summer acquisition, and they desperately needed a defensive anchor like him. The Lakers gave up two first-round picks and two first-round pick swaps to the Utah Jazz for Kessler and gave him a four-year, $130 million contract as part of a sign-and-trade.
Scott, who also coached the Lakers from 2014 to 2016, believes Kessler will help, but doesn't see too many other good defensive players around him. Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves are the two other guaranteed starters, and both have had their struggles on that end of the floor.
#kessler #doesn 't
"I'm not going to say borderline," Scott said. "They're pretenders… I think they'll make the playoffs, but again, to [Olden Polynice's] point, defense wins championships still in this league. I know we glorify the threes and all the offense and things of that nature, but at the end of the day, you got to get stops, right?
"And [Walker] Kessler at the center position, he better average about eight blocks a game," Scott added. "Because they going to be getting a lot of blowbys, and the guys going to get to that basket."
Walker Kessler is the Lakers' biggest summer acquisition, and they desperately needed a defensive anchor like him. The Lakers gave up two first-round picks and two first-round pick swaps to the Utah Jazz for Kessler and gave him a four-year, $130 million contract as part of a sign-and-trade.
Scott, who also coached the Lakers from 2014 to 2016, believes Kessler will help, but doesn't see too many other good defensive players around him. Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves are the two other guaranteed starters, and both have had their struggles on that end of the floor.
#kessler #doesn 't
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